Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-12-24
PORTENT0US PROSPECTS.
A GENERAL STRIKE THREATENED ON
THE READING LINE.

Knights OF Labor Stop Work Because
Some Non-Union Men Are Employed In
the Same Business-One Thousand Idle
in Few Hours and Big Fight LOOM
ing Up Ahead.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec 24-About o'clock
Thursday evening five shifting crews Of the
Philadelphia & Reading Railroad company
were ordered into the round-houss at Port
Richmond by Superintendent Sweigard, ow-
ing to their refusal to shift several carloads
of -four to the grain elevator at the foot of
Williams street. The news Of their discharge
soon spread among other employees Of the
yard, and the men were not long in ascer-
tanning the reason of their dismissal.
1t was learned that the crews were men,
bers of District assemblies Nos 1872 and
6,2s5, knights OF Labor, and had refused to
move the -four to the elevator because sev-
eral non union men were employed there to
unload the cars. When this information
reached the ears Of the union men employed
in the elevator, a general strike among them
ensued
Word was soon communicated to those
Knights who handle ore, ETC., under the
charge of Boss Ste, edore Morris Boney,
and they, nearly 800 in number, also
quit work. The next place visited in the
yard was that where Boss Stevedore Frank
Flood had $50 men at work. They stopped
work and Immediately left the yard, and by
o'clock more than 500 men were lounging
about the corners in the neighborhood.
Superintendent Sweigard was notified Of
the facts, and was soon upon the scene Of the
strike. He positively refused TO reinstate
the shifting crews, and ordered the striking
employees to return to their work. This they
likewise refused to do, and the men are still
out while general strike is threatened.
Trouble with the strikers had been ex.
pected, and the company requested Director
Stokley to furnish police protection. The
director acted promptly, and at o'clock a
force of officers numbering over $50 men was
on the ground. Shortly after orders were
received to have one platoon guard the
round-house at the junction of the Phila-
delphia & Reading railroad trackand the
Pennsylvania treck at Trenton avenue, the
second to distribute itself along the line of
the railroad from the round house TO the
coal wharves, freight wharves, and elevators.
This action of the company in calling upon
tHe ponce loT protecliOn was STeeU6u Wild de-
rision by the employees of the road and the in
habitants of Port Richmond. The only
cause for alarm was the fear that the nom
union crew would be molested at their work,
but they toiled on uninterrupted, and the po-
| lice had no occasion to arrest any one En-
| gins No 2SS manned by the obnoxious crew,
| arrived at the scene of trouble, and at once
/ proceeded to move the boycotted freight
| 1t Is now stated that over 1000 employees
| on the short line from West Falls to the
| Port Richmond coal wharves are on strike.
| General Freight Agent keim, OF the railroad
| company, was very leticent in discussing the
| probable outcome of the strike, and declared
that the company would operate the road if
it required military guard of property.
Trouble has been anticipated for several
days, and it is probable that the police force
will be retained to protect the property.
Mr.. Taylor, of the firm of Charles NJ Tay.
lor's Sons, who represents the Philadelphia
Grain Elevator company, claimed that the
men whom he had engaged in handling the
freight had been with him since August last,
and that he had recently raised their pay tc
Sal per month. He intends continuing the
work with the same force of men